Cultivated hybrid (no wild range); bred at the Zoologica nursery in Altlandsberg, near Berlin, Germany
Overview
Altlandsberg sword is an easy sword cultivar that needs a large tank. B-Aqua suggests 300 liters or more, and the breeder advised the midground as its spot.
Did you know
Altlandsberg sword takes its name from the town near Berlin where the Zoologica nursery is based. The same nursery bred 'Reni', the compact red sword it released in 2003.
Caring for Altlandsberg sword
Give Altlandsberg sword at least 10 cm of nutrient-rich substrate for its roots, and keep the crown just above the surface. Put lower plants in front of it to hide its leaf stalks, which pass 20 cm.
Medium light is enough, and CO2 helps. It feeds through both roots and leaves, so push root tabs around the crown a few times a year and add a liquid fertilizer. Keep the water at 68 to 82°F (20 to 28°C) and a pH of 5.5 to 7.5.
It grows at a moderate pace. Underwater flower stalks carry plantlets, and B-Aqua reports up to five a week with CO2. Cut them free once they root, and trim old outer leaves at the base. Side shoots and rhizome division also give new plants.
Good to know
Altlandsberg sword is a cultivar in the family Alismataceae. Underwater it grows steeply upright to about 45 to 50 cm, with elliptical blades up to 22 by 5 cm and reddish young leaves. The emersed nursery form is shorter, at up to 40 cm, with broader blades up to 16 by 10 cm. That form has red-brown heart leaves, and its older leaves are olive green with dark red veins. Aquatic Arts describes red and pink spotting dusted over green blades.
In the wild
Altlandsberg sword is a nursery hybrid with no wild range. The Zoologica nursery bred it from 'Kleiner Bär' and 'Ozelot' by way of an inbred seedling. Both parents are German sword cultivars whose ancestry goes back to South American Echinodorus of marshes and slow rivers. Those plants grow emersed in the dry season and submersed in floods.
Common questions
Does Altlandsberg sword need to be planted in the substrate?
Yes. Bury the roots and leave the crown, where the leaves join, just above the substrate.
Does Altlandsberg sword need CO2?
No, but it helps. Altlandsberg sword can grow without injected CO2, and added CO2 makes it grow faster.
How much light does Altlandsberg sword need?
Altlandsberg sword wants medium light. A light sold for planted tanks covers it.
Does Altlandsberg sword need root tabs?
They help. Altlandsberg sword takes nutrients through both its roots and its leaves. Root tabs near its roots and a liquid fertilizer cover both.
How do you propagate Altlandsberg sword?
Altlandsberg sword propagates by plantlets, side shoots and rhizome division. Small plantlets form on the plant and can be detached once they have a few roots. Cut a side shoot off once it has a few leaves and plant it on its own.
How tall does Altlandsberg sword grow?
Altlandsberg sword grows to about 19.7 in (50 cm) tall. It grows at a moderate pace.
Medium lightBackground19.7 in (50 cm)
High lightBackground19.7 in (50 cm)
Medium lightBackground19.7 in (50 cm)
Medium lightBackground19.7 in (50 cm)